Chennai: M.S. Dhoni wears many hats: Captain Cool, one of the best finishers in the game and an innovative shot maker who invented the helicopter shot... A lot has been written about Dhoni’s captaincy, batsmanship and his effective glove work behind the stumps for Chennai Super Kings. What about MSD off the field? What is his success mantra? Is he always composed?
Deccan Chronicle caught up with two former CSK cricketers, Makhaya Ntini and S. Badrinath, to understand MSD better. Former South African pacer Ntini said Dhoni’s success as captain can be credited to the licence he gives his players to express themselves. “He is a friendly captain. MS neither forces a player to do stuff that is not suited to his style nor does he set targets for his team-mates on the field. His biggest plus as skipper is the
breathing space he gives youngsters to settle in the side,” he added.
Badrinath, who has played more than 90-odd games under Dhoni, says the first thing which strikes about the CSK captain is his quiet nature. “He is a man of few words. If a youngster wants to know something from him, he has to go to him and seek his advice,” added Badri.
Does MSD do anything specific to perfect his signature helicopter shot? “Na.. Na..Na”, bang came the reply from Ntini. Badri seconded the South African.
The Tamil Nadu player added: “I have never seen him practise that particular stroke at the nets. It comes to him naturally.”
The picture of Dhoni jabbing his chin with his fist after depositing Kings XI Punjab’s Irfan Pathan over the long-on fence to clinch a thrilling win for CSK at Dharamsala in 2010 is a rarity since MSD isn’t known for to express his feelings in the middle.
